This summer the theme for our teen camp was sowing and reaping, with our theme Bible passage being Galatians 6:7-10.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Here is a collection of musings and ponderings, plus the resulting conclusions, that I made over the summer related to this topic.

You reap what you sow. Everything that you do, whether good or bad, will come back to you in consequences or blessings. Even if you make a wrong choice that seems to be a small issue in your eyes, you can’t just assume that it will be forgotten and inconsequential, because every word, thought, or action you commit, no matter how small, will come back to you. Not only will it come back to you in full, but it will come back in over-abundance of what you may have sown. That is one of the laws of the harvest: you reap more than you sow.

What makes farming and planting so incredible and effective is that the output far exceeds the input. You plant one kernel of corn, and you don’t just get back one more kernel of corn–you get back hundreds. One field of corn will return enough corn to plant thousands more fields of corn. The same principle applies to our human lives. Every choice we make will produce a harvest much greater than the initial action.

Sometimes the results of your actions take time to show fruit. So if you are living a bad lifestyle up until a certain time, then you make a decision to turn around and do right, you may not see blessings and good things in your life right away. The consequences of your wrong choices still have to run their course, and you may be dealing with them for a while, even after you make the choice to follow God. But the good part is that the blessings will come eventually. You will always ultimately reap what you sow.

In their devotional times every day this summer, the teen campers would learn four laws of the harvest, a few of which I have referred to already.

Here they all are listed below:

The Four Laws of the Harvest

You will reap what you sow

You will reap more than you sow

You will reap after you sow

You will reap

The concept of reaping what you sow is one that I’ve heard all my life and before this summer I would probably have claimed that of course I understood it and allowed it to influence the way I live my life.

Now that the summer is over and I think back, I realize that while I may have understood and known what the concept of reaping and sowing meant, I really did not live my life as if I believed it nearly as much as I thought. Having the concept literally drilled into me as we passed from week to week of teen camp forced me to step back and take a deeper look at what reaping what you sow means to me personally and how it can affect my life in significant ways.

Hopefully as you consider the concept of sowing and reaping and the laws of the harvest, you’ll also understand, more than you did before, the importance of making wise choices to positively affect your future, and it will become a vital part of how you live your life.

I read a statistic that said that this Valentine’s Day, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold. About $1.7 billion will be spent on candy, $1.1 billion on greeting cards; $2 billion on apparel; and $1.9 billion on flowers. The average consumer will spend about $147.

Frankly, if I had a Valentine who spent $147 on chocolate, cards, apparel, and flowers for me, I’d probably make him return the cards, flowers, and apparel, and then go buy me more chocolate to replace those other things.

No, actually, if he spent $147 on chocolate I’d make him take most of that back too.

Here’s the point that I want to take from this:

I love gifts, chocolate, flowers, cards, clothes, and I wouldn’t discourage anyone from expressing their love in that way.

But what I really would love to see from that person, more than just symbols of their love, is practical, real proof that they love me. Rather than receiving big, bold declarations from him through symbols of love, I’d want to see that love in action.

I would rather he gave up his afternoon to help me with a project than give me a million dollar diamond ring. I’d rather he rolled up his sleeves and did the dishes for me than bestow upon me a dozen red roses. I’d rather he forgave my mistakes unconditionally than treat me to a luxurious five-star dinner. I’d rather he gave me a foot massage himself than send me to a professional massage center.

Why? Because all those things show that he really loves me. Anyone can give chocolate and flowers and cards, and those don’t require love to be the motivating factor because they are just symbols. Not the real thing.

But sacrificing time, convenience, pride, and dignity, all for me? That can only happen when motivated and inspired by true love. That’s what I would want.

Now, to my knowledge I’m not going to have a special someone doing all that for me this Valentine’s Day (although I hope that will be the case sometime in the future), but just because I’m not in that particular life situation doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lesson that I can apply to my own life.

Showing love to people isn’t limited to couples on Valentine’s Day. And if I’d want those things to be done for me, then I should be striving to do the same for everyone else in my life.

Instead of only telling my mom I love her, I can go and clean up that messy kitchen with a cheerful smile on my face. Instead of merely giving Valentine cards to my family members or friends, I can show them that I love them by being forgiving to them, being patient, picking up after them without judging and criticizing, supporting them when they are going through difficult times.

I can do so many things to show my love, and those actions will mean a lot more than simply telling them that I love them or spending lots of money on gifts. Actions and gestures come out of a true feeling of love toward someone. They don’t have to be forced out.

That’s why Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

When we start to know Jesus more, know His love for us, and develop a sense of true love for Him, then we will follow His word and keep His commandments. It’s a natural progression.

And that will be the case for any human relationship. True love will bring true action.

It’s really a matter of investment. What are you investing in? Temporary, material items that won’t last, or the long-lasting building blocks necessary for a permanent and strong relationship?

So, by all means, let’s bring on the flowers and clothes and chocolate (especially the chocolate), but along with those things, let’s let our love speak through actions and sacrifices and simple gestures, those things that will last in a relationship and do more to establish a strong foundation than a million red roses. Roses will fade quickly and be forgotten; chocolate will be eaten and gone faster than you can say “I do”; but the effects of real, genuine actions that come from a loving heart will last forever.

And one more thing…let’s not wait until Valentine’s Day to show our love to people. Pretty sure Jesus didn’t need a holiday to come down to earth and give the ultimate demonstration of love to all of mankind. Now that’s true love.

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Hello! My name is Heather - writer, muser, book-lover, photographer, child of God, among many other things. Welcome to my blog, where I talk about life, books, random thoughts, and whatever God has been teaching me recently. I hope that you'll stay a while and I'd love to hear from you!